The Land of Io

Adventures in the Land of Io

Combat Options

Special Attacks and Maneuvers

Aid Another

You help a friend attack or defend by distracting or
interfering with their opponent.
Action: Standard
Circumstance: A character is in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat.

In melee combat, you can help a friend attack or defend by distracting or interfering with an opponent. If you’re in position to make a melee attack on an opponent that is engaging a friend in melee combat, you can attempt to aid your friend as a standard action. You make an attack roll against AC 10. If you succeed, your friend gains either a +2 bonus on his next attack roll against that opponent or a +2 bonus to AC against that opponent’s next attack (your choice), as long as that attack comes before the beginning of your next turn. Multiple characters can aid the same friend, and similar bonuses stack.

You can also use this standard action to help a friend in other ways, such as when he is affected by a spell, or to assist another character’s skill check.

Aim

You prepare to loose an especially accurate arrow.
Action: Full-round
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +1.
Circumstance: The character uses a bow or crossbow.
Effect: The character gains a +2 circumstance bonus to his next ranged attack. This ranged attack must be taken as his first action in the round following the one in which he takes the Aim action.

Bull Rush

You charge into a foe, knocking him back.
Action: Standard
Effect: You can make a bull rush as a standard action or as part of a charge, in place of the melee attack. You can only bull rush an opponent who is no more than one size category larger than you. A bull rush attempts to push an opponent straight back without doing any harm. If you do not have the Improved Bull Rush feat, or a similar ability, initiating a bull rush provokes an attack of opportunity from the target of your maneuver.

If your attack is successful, your target is pushed back 5 feet. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent’s CMD you can push the target back an additional 5 feet. You can move with the target if you wish but you must have the available movement to do so. If your attack fails, your movement ends in front of the target.

An enemy being moved by a bull rush does not provoke an attack of opportunity because of the movement unless you possess the Greater Bull Rush feat. You cannot bull rush a creature into a square that is occupied by a solid object or obstacle. If there is another creature in the way of your bull rush, you must immediately make a combat maneuver check to bull rush that creature. You take a –4 penalty on this check for each creature being pushed beyond the first. If you are successful, you can continue to push the creatures a distance equal to the lesser result. For example, if a fighter bull rushes a goblin for a total of 15 feet, but there is another goblin 5 feet behind the first, he must make another combat maneuver check against the second goblin after having pushed the first 5 feet. If his check reveals that he can push the second goblin a total of 20 feet, he can continue to push both goblins another 10 feet (since the first goblin will have moved a total of 15 feet).

Cat’s Parry

You parry your opponent’s wrist rather than his blade.
Action: Immediate
Prerequisite: Base parry bonus +3.
Circumstance: Must be parrying.
Effect: The attacker gains a +4 circumstance bonus to his attack roll but if he misses the defender may immediately make an attack of opportunity against him.

Charge

You hurl yourself into the fray!
Action: Full-round
Circumstance: Charging is a special full-round action that allows you to move up to twice your speed and attack during the action. Charging, however, carries tight restrictions on how you can move.

Movement During a Charge

You must move before your attack, not after. You must move at least 10 feet (2 squares) and may move up to double your speed directly toward the designated opponent. If you move a distance equal to your speed or less, you can also draw a weapon during a charge attack if your base attack bonus is at least +1.

You must have a clear path toward the opponent, and nothing can hinder your movement (such as difficult terrain or obstacles). You must move to the closest space from which you can attack the opponent. If this space is occupied or otherwise blocked, you can’t charge. If any line from your starting space to the ending space passes through a square that blocks movement, slows movement, or contains a creature (even an ally), you can’t charge. Helpless creatures don’t stop a charge.

If you don’t have line of sight to the opponent at the start of your turn, you can’t charge that opponent.

You can’t take a 5-foot step in the same round as a charge.

If you are able to take only a standard action on your turn, you can still charge, but you are only allowed to move up to your speed (instead of up to double your speed) and you cannot draw a weapon unless you possess the Quick Draw feat. You can’t use this option unless you are restricted to taking only a standard action on your turn.

Attacking on a Charge

After moving, you may make a single melee attack. You get a +2 bonus on the attack roll and take a –2 penalty to your AC until the start of your next turn.

A charging character gets a +2 bonus on combat maneuver attack rolls made to bull rush an opponent.

Even if you have extra attacks, such as from having a high enough base attack bonus or from using multiple weapons, you only get to make one attack during a charge.

Lances and Charge Attacks: A lance deals double damage if employed by a mounted character in a charge.

Weapons Readied against a Charge: Spears, tridents, and other weapons with the brace feature deal double damage when readied (set) and used against a charging character.-——————————————————————————————————————————————

Bull’s Charge

A low charge can allow a character to get under his enemy’s guard to stab deep into his belly. However, doing so renders the charging character very vulnerable to a counterattack.
Action: Full-round
Prerequisite: Str 13, Power Attack.
Circumstance: A character must be wielding a slashing or
piercing weapon and charging.
Effect: The character gains a +2 bonus on his damage roll
when charging but provokes an attack of opportunity from
his target before he can make his attack roll.

Leaping Charge

Action: Charge
Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +6, Jump 1 rank.
Effect: When a character makes a charge attack, he may make a second attack at his highest base attack bonus, though both attacks are at a –2 circumstance penalty. The circumstance penalty to Defence for charging is increased from the usual –2 to –4.

Dance Aside

You move while dodging.
Action: Immediate
Prerequisite: Dex 13.
Circumstance: An opponent’s attack roll is less than half the dodging character’s Dodge Defence.
Effect: The dodging character may immediately take a five-foot step, as he nimbly dances out of the way of an opponent’s attack.

Decapitating Slash

You take advantage of an opponent’s dropped defences to slice his head clean off. This leaves you open to counterattack and so is usually only done if you are fighting only one opponent.
Action: Immediate
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +10.
Circumstance: The character’s opponent provokes an attack of opportunity.
Effect: The character attempts a particularly devastating attack of opportunity. If he scores a critical hit against his opponent, the opponent must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC = 5 + total damage dealt, after taking into account damage reduction) or be instantly killed, his head severed. The attacking character suffers a –4 circumstance penalty to Defence for the one round immediately following his attack of opportunity.

Delay

You wait for the right time to act.
Action: Special
Effect: By choosing to delay, you take no action and then act normally on whatever initiative count you decide to act. When you delay, you voluntarily reduce your own initiative result for the rest of the combat. When your new, lower initiative count comes up later in the same round, you can act normally. You can specify this new initiative result or just wait until some time later in the round and act then, thus fixing your new initiative count at that point.

You never get back the time you spend waiting to see what’s going to happen. You also can’t interrupt anyone else’s action (as you can with a readied action).

Initiative Consequences of Delaying

Your initiative result becomes the count on which you took the delayed action. If you come to your next action and have not yet performed an action, you don’t get to take a delayed action (though you can delay again).

If you take a delayed action in the next round, before your regular turn comes up, your initiative count rises to that new point in the order of battle, and you do not get your regular action that round.